Surface Charging Controlling of the Chinese Space Station with Hollow Cathode Plasma Contactor

A highly charged manned spacecraft threatens the life of an astronaut and extravehicular activity, which can be effectively reduced by controlling the spacecraft surface charging. In this article, the controlling of surface charging on Chinese Space Station （CSS） is investigated, and a method to reduce the negative potential to the CSS is the emission electron with a hollow cathode plasma eontactor. The analysis is obtained that the high voltage （HV） solar array of the CSS collecting electron current can reach 4.5 A, which can be eliminated by emitting an adequate electron current on the CSS. The theoretical analysis and experimental results are addressed, when the minimum xenon flow rate of the hollow cathode is 4.0 sccm, the emission electron current can neutralize the collected electron current, which ensures that the potential of the CSS can be controlled in a range of less than 21 V, satisfied with safety voltage. The results can provide a significant reference value to define a flow rate to the potential controlling programme for CSS.

Best Magnetic Condition to Generate Hollow Cathode Glow Plasma in High Vacuum

Based on magnetron hollow cathode discharge, the magnetic condition of glow plasma generation in high vacuum, including both direction and magnitude of the applied mag- netic field, is theoretically derived and experimentally evaluated in this paper. Single particle orbital theory is introduced to discuss the possibilities to generate glow plasma at gas pressure under 10-2 Pa when the magnetic field direction is parallel or perpendicular or oblique to the electric field direction. A quantitative estimation criterion of magnetic induction intensity is also proposed in theory. The comparison with experiments suggests that glow plasma in high vacuum will form more easily in oblique magnetic field condition and that the criterion is accurate enough to estimate magnetic induction intensity at a certain gas pressure.

Determinations of plasma density and decay time in the hollow cathode discharge by microwave transmission

The microwave （MW） transmission method is employed to measure both the plasma density and the plasma decay time in the hollow cathode discharge （HCD） in argon at low pressure. The plasma density in DC-driven or pulsed HCD is on the order of 1012 cm-3, which can block the X-band MW effectively. In the case of pulsed HCD, the MW transmittance shows the same waveform as the pulsed current during the rising edge if the driving frequency is low, but with a longer delay during the falling edge. The MW transmittance reaches a constant low level when the driving frequency is high enough. The plasma decay time in the HCD system is measured to be about 100 μs around a pressure of 120 Pa. The ambipolar diffusion is considered to be the major mechanism in the decay process.

Plasma characteristics in the discharge region of a 20A emission current hollow cathode

Numerical calculation and fluid simulation methods were used to obtain the plasma characteristics in the discharge region of the LIPS-300 ion thruster’s 20 A emission current hollow cathode and to verify the structural design of the emitter.The results of the two methods indicated that the highest plasma density and electron temperature,which improved significantly in the orifice region,were located in the discharge region of the hollow cathode.The magnitude of plasma density was about 10^21m^-3in the emitter and orifice regions,as obtained by numerical calculations,but decreased exponentially in the plume region with the distance from the orifice exit.Meanwhile,compared to the emitter region,the electron temperature and current improved by about 36%in the orifice region.The hollow cathode performance test results were in good agreement with the numerical calculation results,which proved that that the structural design of the emitter and the orifice met the requirements of a 20 A emission current.The numerical calculation method can be used to estimate plasma characteristics in the preliminary design stage of hollow cathodes.

Steady and oscillatory plasma properties in the near-field plume of a hollow cathode

Hollow cathodes serve as electron sources in Hall thrusters,ion thrusters and other electric propulsion systems.One of the vital problems in their application is the cathode erosion.However,the basic erosion mechanism and the source of high-energy ions cause of erosion are not fully understood.In this paper,both potential measurements and simulation analyses were performed to explain the formation of high-energy ions.A high-speed camera,a single Langmuir probe and a floating emissive probe were used to determine the steady and oscillatory plasma properties in the near-field plume of a hollow cathode.The temporal structure,electron temperature,electron density,and both static and oscillation of plasma potentials of the plume have been obtained by the diagnostics mentioned above.The experimental results show that there exists a potential hill（about 30 V） and also severe potential oscillations in the near-plume region.Moreover,a simple 2 D particle-in-cell model was used to analyze the energy transition between the potential hill and/or its oscillations and the ions.The simulation results show that the energy of ions gained from the static potential background is about 20 e V,but it could reach to 60 e V when the plasma oscillates.

Characteristics of Plasma Spraying Torch with a Hollow Cathode

A kind of plasma spraying torch with a hollow cathode is described in this paper. The plasma torch can be used for axial powder injection in plasma spray studies. The arc characteristics of the plasma torch with vacuous gas flowrates, different gas media, are presented. The mathematical modeling and computational method are developed for predicting the temperature and velocity field inside the plasma torch.

Microstructure and Deuterium Retention of Tungsten Deposited by Hollow Cathode Discharge in Deuterium Plasma

Tungsten has been chosen as one of the most promising candidates as the plasma-facing material in future fusion reactors. Although tungsten has numerous advantages compared with other materials, issues including dust are rather difficult to deal with. Dust is produced in fusion devices by energetic plasma-surface interaction. The re-deposition of dust particles could cause the retention of fuel atoms. In this work, tungsten is deposited with deuterium plasma by hollow cathode discharge to simulate the dust production in a tokamak. The morphology of the deposited tungsten can be described as a film with spherical particles on it. Thermal desorption spectra of the deposited tungsten show extremely high desorption of the peak positions. It is also found that there is a maximum retention of deuterium in the deposited tungsten samples due to the dynamic equilibrium of the deposition and sputtering process on the substrates.

Effect of the Hollow Cathode Heat Power on the Performance of an Hall-Effect Thruster

Effect of the hollow cathode heat power on the performance of a Hall-effect thruster is investigated. The variations in the Hall-effect thruster＇s performance （thrust, specific impulse and anode efficiency） with the hollow cathode heat power was obtained from the analysis of the experimental data. Through an analysis on the coupling relationship between the electrons emitted from the hollow cathode and the environmental plasma, it was found that the heat power would affect the electron emission of the emitter and the space potential of the coupling zone, which would lead to a change in the effective discharge voltage. The experimental data agree well with the results of calculation which can be used to explain the experimental phenomena.

The Effect of Gas Flow Rate on Radio-Frequency Hollow Cathode Discharge Characteristics

It is known that gas flow rate is a key factor in controlling industrial plasma processing. In this paper, a 2D PIC/MCC model is developed for an rf hollow cathode discharge with an axial nitrogen gas flow. The effects of the gas flow rate on the plasma parameters are calculated and the results show that： with an increasing flow rate, the total ion（N＋2, N＋） density decreases, the mean sheath thickness becomes wider, the radial electric field in the sheath and the axial electric field show an increase, and the energies of both kinds of nitrogen ions increase;and, as the axial ion current density that is moving toward the ground electrode increases, the ion current density near the ground electrode increases. The simulation results will provide a useful reference for plasma jet technology involving rf hollow cathode discharges in N2.

PIC/MCC Simulation of Radio Frequency Hollow Cathode Discharge in Nitrogen

A two-dimensional PIC/MCC model is developed to simulate the nitrogen radio frequency hollow cathode discharge（rf-HCD）.It is found that both the sheath oscillation heating and the secondary electron heating together play a role to maintain the rf-HCD under the simulated conditions.The mean energy of ions（N＋_2,N＋）in the negative glow region is greater than the thermal kinetic energy of the molecular gas（N2）,which is an important characteristic of rf-HCD.During the negative portion of the hollow electrode voltage cycle,electrons mainly follow pendulum movement and produce a large number of ionization collisions in the plasma region.During the positive voltage of the rf cycle,the axial electric field becomes stronger and its direction is pointing to the anode（substrate）,therefore the ions move toward the anode（substrate）via the axial electric field acceleration.Compared with dc-HCD,rf-HCD is more suitable for serving as a plasma jet nozzle at low pressure.

Effect of vacuum backpressure on discharge characteristics of hollow cathode

A hollow cathode is the electronic source and neutralizer of the Hall thruster and an ion thruster.When the orbit of an all-electric propulsion satellite changes from 100 km to 36 000 km, the backpressure changes by two to three orders of magnitude. In this paper, the influence of the backpressure on the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode has been studied experimentally in the so-called diode configuration. With the increase in the backpressure, the anode voltage decreases gradually, and the amplitude of the current oscillation decreases significantly. Additionally, the plasma is relatively stable, the most probable ion energy and the width of the ion energy distribution reduces, and the electron distribution function inclines toward the Maxwell distribution under high backpressure. The analysis results show that the backpressure affects the gas ionization and the ionic acoustic turbulence, which also affects the discharge characteristics of the hollow cathode.

Influence of the Iron Anisothermal Sintering on the Characteristic of the Hollow Cathode Discharge

This work studies the influence of anisothermal iron sintering process on hollow cathode discharge characteristics. Two independent cathodes form an annular discharge. The pressed cylindrical iron powder sample, acting as central cathode, was placed concentrically in the interior of an external cathode. The external cathode, machined from an AISI 310 steel bar, besides acting to confine the geometry of the plasma, can also acts as a source of alloying elements. The sample heating is a function of the ion bombardment energy and, so, of the discharge electrical parameters: current (or current density) and the effective potential applied to the cathode. Successive anisothermal sintering is performed in a same sample until the reproducibility of the electrical parameters being obtained. The heating experiments up to 1250 °C, in a gas mixture of 80% Ar + 20% H2, at pressure of 133 Pa, at flow of 2xlO"6 mV, with an inter-cathode radial space of 5.8 mm, were carried out. It was verified the metallurgical evolution of the iron sample sintering process influences the current-?0n (time switched-on of the pulse) characteristics of the discharge.

Diagnostic and modelling investigation on the ion acceleration and plasma throttling effects in a dualemitter hollow cathode micro-thruster

Hollow cathode discharges are widely used as neutralizers for the electric propulsion systems and recently developed into micro-thrusters for the small satellites.In this work,a dualemitter hollow cathode thruster is developed,which can be operated in two different modes—the neutralizer mode and the micro-thruster mode.For characterizing this kind of new device,the Langmuir probe,Faraday probe,and retarding potential analyzer are used to determine the electron temperature,electron density,ion flux,and ion energy distribution function.The operating parameters,including the thrust,and specific impulse,are also measured.A two-dimensional self-consistent extended fluid model is employed to calculate the spatial distribution of plasma parameters and the fluid field of electrons in the region around the emitters.By comparing the diagnostic and modelling results,it is found that the change in the electric field and ionization zone is the essential reason for the different performances of the device in the neutralizer and micro-thruster modes.Variation in the electric field leads to an ion acceleration effect in the micro-thruster mode;moving of the ionization zone raises the plasma pressure in the orifice region of the hollow cathode,and thus leads to enhanced plasma throttling and gas expanding effects.By analyzing the above mechanisms,the possible methods for improving this kind of hollow cathode micro-thruster are discussed.

Remote plasma enhanced cyclic etching of a cyclosiloxane polymer thin film

The continuous evolution of chip manufacturing demands the development of materials with ultra-low dielectric constants.With advantageous dielectric and mechanical properties,initiated chemical vapor deposited(iCVD)poly(1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-trivinyl cyclotrisiloxane)(pV3D3)emerges as a promising candidate.However,previous works have not explored etching for this cyclosiloxane polymer thin film,which is indispensable for potential applications to the back-end-of-line fabrication.Here,we developed an etching process utilizing O2/Ar remote plasma for cyclic removal of iCVD pV3D3 thin film at sub-nanometer scale.We employed in-situ quartz crystal microbalance to investigate the process parameters including the plasma power,plasma duration and O2 flow rate.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross-sectional microscopy reveal the formation of an oxidized skin layer during the etching process.This skin layer further substantiates an etching mechanism driven by surface oxidation and sputtering.Additionally,this oxidized skin layer leads to improved elastic modulus and hardness and acts as a barrier layer for protecting the bottom cyclosiloxane polymer from further oxidation.

The Use of an Electron Microchannel as a Self-Extracting and Focusing Plasma Cathode Electron Gun

A new and simple type of electron gun is presented.Unlike conventional electron guns,which require a heated filament or extractor,accelerator and focusing electrodes,this gun uses the collimated electron microchannels of an inertial electrostatic confinement（IEC） discharge to achieve the same outcome.A cylindrical cathode is placed coaxially within a cylindrical anode to create the discharge.Collimated beams of electrons and fast neutrals emerge along the axis of the cylindrical cathode.This geometry isolates one of the microchannels that emerge in a negatively biased IEC grid.The internal operating pressure range of the gun is 35-190 m Torr.A small aperture separates the gun from the main vacuum chamber in order to achieve a pressure differential.The chamber was operated at pressures of 4-12 m Torr.The measured current produced by the gun was 0.1-3 m A（0.2-14 m A corrected measurement） for discharge currents of 1-45 m A and discharge voltages of 0.5-12 k V.The collimated electron beam emerges from the aperture into the vacuum chamber.The performance of the gun is unaffected by the pressure differential between the vacuum chamber and the gun.This allows the aperture to be removed and the chamber pressure to be equal to the gun pressure if required.

Measurements of plasma parameters in a hollow electrode AC glow discharge in helium

Measurements of the plasma parameters of coaxial gridded hollow electrode alternating current(AC)discharge helium plasma were carried out using an improved probe diagnostic technology.The measurements were performed under well-defined discharge conditions(chamber geometry,input power,AC power frequency,and external electrical characteristics).The problems encountered in describing the characteristics of AC discharge in many probe diagnostic methods were addressed by using an improved probe diagnostics design.This design can also be applied to the measurement of plasma parameters in many kinds of plasma sources in which the probe potential fluctuates with the discharge current.Several parameters of the hollow electrode AC helium discharge plasma were measured,including the plasma density,electron temperature,plasma density profiles,and changes in plasma density at different input power values and helium pressures.The characteristics of the coaxial gridded hollow electrode plasma determined by the experiments are suitable for comparison with plasma simulations,and for use in many applications of hollow cathode plasma.

Si_3N_4 nano-microsphere synthesized by cathode arc plasma and heat treatment

The Si3N4 microcrystals with a hollow sphere structure were prepared by using the simple heat treatment of the Si3N4 flakes, which were prepared by using the cathode arc plasma. The products were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the Si3N4 nano-microsphere was studied. The obtained Si3N4 microcrystals, which show a hollow sphere structure, are up to several nanometers in diameter. During the process, the heat treatment and Ni catalyst play a key role in the forming structure and morphology. This result provides a possibility for mass producing Si3N4 microcrystals.

The Interaction of C-Band Microwaves with Large Plasma Sheets

A large plasma sheet 60 cm×60 cm×2 cm in size was generated using a hollow cathode, and measurements were conducted for interactions including transmission, reflection and absorption. With different discharge parameters, plasma sheets can vary and influence microwave strength. Microwave reflection decreases when the discharge current rises, and the opposite occurs in transmission. The C-band microwave is absorbed when it is propagated through large plasma sheets at higher pressure. When plasma density and collision frequency are fitted with incident microwave frequency, a large amount of microwave energy is consumed. Reflection, transmission and absorption all exist simultaneously. Plasma sheets are an attractive alternative to microwave steering at low pressure, and the microwave reflection used in receiving radar can be altered by changing the discharge parameters.

Ceramic alloying with Ti-N deposition and diffusion of multi-layers by plasma surface alloying technique

High quality TiN multi-layer was obtained on steel substrate by combined technology of plasma glow discharge sputtering, hollow cathode effect and interfacial diffusion. The TiN multi-layer consists of deposition layer and diffusion layer. Its morphology, structure and chemical compositions were analyzed. The microhardness and wear resistance were measured. The results indicate that the diffusion of Ti and N into the substrate leads to a strong interfacial adhesion. The thickness of TiN multi-layer is about 10μm. The strongest diffraction is on the (200) crystal plane of TiN. The surface hardness is about to 2300(HV_ 0.1). The wear resistance of the TiN ceramic alloying multi-layer is excellent and the friction coefficient is low under dry sliding conditions.

空心阴极放电复合稀土氧化物对Ti6Al4V合金离子渗氮组织及性能的影响

目的改善Ti6Al4V合金的耐磨和耐蚀性能,探究辅助渗氮手段的引入对Ti6Al4V合金离子渗氮组织和性能的影响。方法利用空心阴极放电(Hollow Cathode Discharge,HCD)及稀土氧化物(Y_(2)O_(3)纳米颗粒)辅助在720℃对Ti6Al4V合金进行4 h离子渗氮处理。通过光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、X射线衍射仪、显微硬度测试仪、往复式摩擦磨损实验仪以及电化学工作站,对比研究常规离子渗氮、HCD辅助离子渗氮以及HCD复合稀土氧化物辅助离子渗氮3种条件下Ti6Al4V合金的渗氮组织和性能。结果HCD复合稀土氧化物辅助离子渗氮条件下,Ti6Al4V合金表面生成约126μm厚的渗氮层,分别是常规离子渗氮条件和HCD辅助离子渗氮条件的3.1、2.4倍。化合物层中,TiN含量显著增加,渗氮层表面硬度达到1067.9HV0.05。渗氮层整体硬度明显提高,且硬度梯度降低。Ti6Al4V合金的摩擦系数从常规离子渗氮时的0.4降至0.2。同时,TiN含量的提高,使Ti6Al4V合金在3.5%NaCl溶液中的自腐蚀电流降低,极化电阻增大,耐蚀性能得到改善。结论HCD复合Y_(2)O_(3)辅助可显著提高氮势,促进氮向Ti6Al4V合金内快速扩散,提高合金的硬度,改善合金的耐磨性能和耐蚀性能。